Zimbabwe: Reconciliation, unity and conflict (1980-1989) (continued)

Between 1980-1984 35 000 households were resettled on 2 million hectares, but thereafter land resettlement declined markedly and land reform was virtually shelved, despite the passing of the 1985 Land Acquisitions Act (Kanyenze 2004, 115-116; ICG 2004, 35-36, 41). In total, between 1980 and 1990, 71 000 households were resettled on 3.5 million hectares; this Selby observes, "was a significant achievement, in aggregate terms, and unsurpassed in Africa. However, within the context of initial targets and the emerging performance results, it was deemed a failure by many groups, including officials of the government" (Hanyama Undated; Selby 2004, 134).

Destabilisation by South Africa, as a result of Zimbabwe's support for liberation movements, in the form of sabotage, bombings, attacks and misinformation fostered a climate of suspicion and distrust that wreaked havoc with the already strained relations between ZANU-PF and PF-ZAPU (Brown & Saunders 2007, 1287; CCJPZ 1997, 29). In response to perceived external and internal enemies Mugabe became increasingly authoritarian and ZANU-PF evermore intolerant of dissent and criticism and relations between the two parties and their leaders deteriorated steadily (Esterhuysen 2004; Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2004, 308-310). Attempts by Mugabe to consolidate national unity through the merger of the two rivals, who represented the two main ethnic and regional groupings of the country, as a step towards an eventual one party state were resisted by PF-ZAPU's leader, Joshua Nkomo (Brown & Saunders 2007, 1287; Encyclopedia of the Nations 2007). In the PF-ZAPU stronghold of Matabeleland signs of unrest emerged as a result of the apparent persecution of PF-ZAPU members, which Mugabe suspected was being fomented by Nkoma and he was demoting by Mugabe to a more junior position in the government in January 1981 (Esterhuysen 2004).

In 1982 PF-ZAPU dissidents and deserters from the army launched a campaign of attacks on government personnel and installations and acts of banditry; all PF-ZAPU members from the government after the discovery of an arms cache and a ruthless crackdown in Matabeleland was undertaken (Esterhuysen 2004; Brown & Saunders 2007, 1288; Encyclopedia of the Nations 2007). Dissidents were dealt with by resort to the security legislation inherited from the Smith regime which gave the Central Intelligence Organisation sweeping powers to detain opponents while the Shona dominated 5th Brigade was deployed in Matabeleland and given a carte blanche to suppress the unrest in 1982, though upheavals continued into 1987 (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2007; Esterhuysen 2004). The deployment of the 5th Brigade deepened the conflict from one between the an increasingly authoritarian government and increasingly lawless dissident movement to one between the numerically superior and dominant ZANU-PF supporting Shona and the numerically and politically weaker and PF-ZAPU supporting Ndebele, through their explicit identification of all Ndebele as dissidents and through the extreme violence visited on civilians in the area (this included public executions, mass beatings, rape and widespread detentions, torture and murder; CCJPZ 1997, 60). The crackdown and the starvation that followed in its wake led to the deaths of thousands of civilians (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2007; the ICG (2004, 38) cites estimates of between 10 000 and 20 000 casualties).

South Africa did not relax its efforts at destabilising Zimbabwe. As early as March 1981 South Africa withdrew from bilateral trade agreement and terminated employment of migrant labourers from Zimbabwe, while Zimbabwean goods were tied up in South African ports (Kanyenze 2004, 121). By supporting the rebel group RENAMO in Mozambique it was able to threaten access to the port of Beira, forcing Zimbabwe deploy troops there to attempt to re-establish the rail link and in the meanwhile increasing Zimbabwe's reliance on South Africa for exports and imports (Kanyenze 2004, 121; Encyclopedia of the Nations 2007). Apart from this and the support given to the dissidents in Matabeleland attacks on Zimbabwean military installations and on exiles from South Africa belonging to the African National Congress were made (Selby 2006, 120; ICG 2004, 36,-37).

Opposition party politics at the time was turbulent. Ian Smith's Republican Front (renamed the Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe (CAZ)) suffered defections in 1982 as all but seven MP's, dissatisfied with the hard oppositional tone that was adopted, and eventually formed the Independent Zimbabwe Group (IZG; Wikipedia 2007). Nkomo fled into exile in March 1983, but was persuaded to return in August, while Ndabaningi Sithole fled to the United States in the same year and did not return until 1992 (Encyclopedia of the Nations 2007). Bishop Abel Muzorewa, leader of the United African National Council (UANC) was detained for almost a year in 1983/4 on charges of conspiring against the state with the South African government, but was never brought to court (Dorman, SR 2004, 7).

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